It is easy to talk about God’s grace when we are on the receiving end. It is awesome to be the recipient of God’s unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor and kindness. That is amazing! That is how awesome God is!

But we don’t like to talk about grace when we have to give it. Friends who stab us in the back. The jerk in line at the store. The boss who passed you over to promote someone who is not nearly as talented as you. The unkind in-law. The lazy brother who always wants to borrow money. The spouse who is stingy, selfish, sarcastic, and mean. And those sorry, no-good-for-nothing (insert political label here or the kind of sin that you are not guilty of so you can feel holier than they are).

Jesus said that if we don’t forgive others, then we won’t be forgiven. His point is that once you truly receive God’s forgiveness and grace you naturally give it to others. If you don’t forgive and give grace, THEN YOU HAVE NOT TRULY REPENTED YET. Sorry about yelling that in all caps but I think it is important. Once you have truly tasted of God’s grace it changes your heart. It makes you kinder. You extend grace. Not that you overlook evil or enable sin, but you remember that Jesus has paid for the sin of every believer. He put it all under his blood.

So the next time you begin to feel negative, mean-spirited, and vengeful, stop and remember God’s grace to you. It is unearned, undeserved, unmerited. You can give grace because his grace is also unlimited!